Bailey Lemkau

This is a photo of an exhibition of my work that my mom took.

Degree: BFA in Photography

Expected Graduation Date: Spring 2023

Spring 2022 Scholarships
David McCosh Memorial Scholarship in Fine Arts
Florence Pobanz Scholarship
Ian McClung Art Scholarship

I Am Originally From Junction City, OR

WHY I CAME TO THE UO AND HOW I CHOSE MY MAJOR
I chose to attend the University of Oregon for multiple reasons including financial aid and the quality of the College of Design program. I am from the area and have loved the campus since I was a kid so when I was offered the Pathway Oregon Scholarship I knew I had to study art here!

I didn’t initially intend to pursue a BFA in photography until my professor took an interest in my work and said I should apply. I was already an art major so I was pretty immersed in the creative mindset.

UNIQUE QUALITIES I BRING TO MY STUDIES
I am really interested in emotions and expereinces that can be healed through photography. A lot of my work is inspired by trauma-related feelings that I have been trying to understand and heal. Through photography, I am able to face these uncomfortable aspects of my life and make them into something beautiful and fulfilling instead of being constantly weighed down by them. I also am super interested in the accidents that come about when making art and how those incidents send projects into completely different avenues. I think every mistake or unintentional move with art can create an avenue for something even greater to be discovered and built upon.

MY INFLUENTIAL PROFESSORS
I have had two incredible professors that have genuinely changed my outlook on art and quite honestly my life—Ron Jude and Colleen Raphael-Choquette. Ron was the person who advised me to join the BFA with only four days to put an application together and he has been my mentor for the past two years. He has taught me so much and I am constantly inspired by his passion and excitement for photography. Learning from him has always been so helpful and productive because of his understanding of the process and deep love for photos and art. Colleen has inspired me to look at art in a much more conceptual way. Before her, I was a bit lost on how to translate my emotions into work and with her help, I was finally able to understand how I could productively make art in the way I wanted to. She is one of the kindest most loving people who really has a passion for her students and the work they make. She is so passionate about the process and every aspect of a project. They are both the best teachers I’ve ever had.

MY EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
While it’s not really an extracuriccular activity, I do work in the photo lab on campus where there’s a huge community of people that I have become really attached to and fond of. We are always asking for opinions and help from each other and I feel super satisfied and fulfilled by that community presence in my life.

MY GREATEST LEARNING EXPERIENCE AT UO
I think being in the BFA program has been the biggest learning experience for me. All the required classes and relationships I was able to make with the other BFA students are really what taught me the most. I’ve also made some lifelong friends!

AFTER GRADUATION
My hope is to continue making art and ideally work in a Photo Lab to continue my love for film development. Honestly, any place I can have access to film development and printing would be ideal. I am also planning to go to grad school in a few years to give myself the time to practice and make art. Anywhere I go in life I hope to continue documenting it through image-making.

YOUR GIFT
These scholarships are SUPER important to me. I traveled to Greece this summer for a study abroad program and this scholarship me cover the cost of flights and such! This is helping me because my biggest goal as an artist has been to get some extra exposure and more experiences in places that are outside my comfort zone. I am from the Eugene area and have never lived anywhere else so I am super excited to have some new experiences in a new place and see how my art develops and grows while also building connections overseas for future artistic endeavors.

Thank you a million times! This award is truly a blessing. I come from a very poor background where I have little money to spend. I work two jobs to pay for the rent, and wouldn’t be able to go to Greece without scholarships. I am so beyond thankful for this award to make the load a little lighter. THANK YOU!